Dalek Sun, Bad Wolf Moon
by OrlithNightfire
Summary: Old enermies come to play,in the ruins of a world. The Doctor must face the fact, that the fight between good and evil will never be over. and someone always gets caught in the crossfire.
1. Prologue: Not with a bang, but a whimper

KITG: Now I think this is going to be a long one. I would like to thank the books Gone with the Wind (the nuclear war one, not the romance) and the book by Louise Lawrence for how to write a nuclear war. Dalek Sun, Bad Wolf moon Prologue- Not with a bang, but a whimper 

It was such a perfect day, a promise of summer with cloudless purple skies. Tallwings were nesting below the eaves of the caretaker's cottage and out on the fields the third forms were playing the old earth game of cricket. Everyone thought, when the alarm bell rang, that is was just another fire practice. But bombs had fallen on Rochfort and Reinstone cities, the headmaster said, and a full scale nuclear attack was imminent. Those within walking distance of the school must go home immediately. The rest should return to the main assembly hall and stay there.

Sarah ran through a town gone mad with panic. The traffic had stopped…hover cars and hover lorries parked all along the narrow high street. Men and women, crazy with fear, looted the shops for supplies. Police sirens sounded, and on the housing estate they were tearing doors from their hinges to board up the windows. Sarah's school shoes pounded along the pavements, up the hill past the District Hospital, leaving the town behind. A stitch in her side and her lungs heaving for breath made her stop and look back.

She saw the streets spread out beneath her, the river estuary shining silver/amethyst in the distance, white piles of the power station on the opposite bank, and Wolf hills beyond. She had to remember it. Wolf lair in the purple sunlight, a bluebreast singing and the wind blowing warm through her copper hair. With all her senses she had to remember it, all the scents and sounds of a world she might never see again. The roadside was lacy with cub-parsley and the spring of this world had covered the hedges with sweet white blossoms. Cattle grazed in the fields, cows and sheep imported from earth. Eating the green grass that looked dark rich green in the purple sunlight. A kestrel, brought here also from earth to keep vermin in check, hovered above the woods that were covered in red flowers, akin to bluebells.

She heard even a cuckoo calling, the founders of the world EVE thinking to make the transition from earth easier if they had some native animals, it's called broke the silence for a moment. She heard the others running along the road ahead. Their voices called to her.

"Hurry up! You haven't got time to stop!" Sarah covered two miles in twenty minutes.

Scattered houses marked the village outskirts, with Monday washing billowing in the gardens. And over the hill the church bell tolled. Sarah's home was in a hollow, two settler homes renovated and made into one. There were lawns in front and borders bright with flowers and an orchard at the back. She entered through the kitchen. Buster barked and wagged his tail in greeting but she paid him no heed. She went into the living room where her stepmother was nailing a blanket over the window.

"Is it true?" Sarah gasped.

"Don't ask stupid questions!" Veronica snapped.

But the nuclear war was a thousand miles away. Rochfort was in the continent called Titan, Sarah said, and this was the continent Pegasus. They lived in the city of Cerberus. She could not believe that anyone would drop atomic bombs on Pegasus. They already had, Veronica informed her. Zeus BBC had stopped transmitting a few minutes ago, and Radio Aphrodite reported the capital city Zeus had been hit.

"_Stay in your houses," _the announcer said.

"Give me a hand," Veronica said grimly.

Sarah helped her hump the mattress from the double bed and drag it downstairs. They took the spare one from the guest room and wedged both against the window, shifted the bookcase on top. It was what the radio announcer told them to do as protection against flying glass. Daylight came through the open doors but the room was dark and Sarah switched on the light.

"Will Daddy be home?" she asked.

"Use your head!" Veronica retorted. Sarah bit her lip.

Her Father was teaching at Aphrodite University and would not have time to drive home. And Veronica did not mean to be unkind. She was doing everything she could to keep herself and the children alive and she did not have time to think of Sarah's father.

"_Gather all necessary belongings into one room,"_ Instructed the announcer. _"Seal the doors against nuclear fall-out"_

The door to the kitchen still remained open but Veronica sealed the door to the hall with sticky tape. There was nothing left for Sarah to do. In the gloomy light she saw tinned food piled in a corner, bowls and buckets filled with water, the camping stove and gas cylinder brought in from the garage, half a sack of potato's and Grandma's commode. The sofa was piled with clothes and bedclothes, pillows and cushions, books and cups and saucepans, polythene garbage bags, Catherine's Barbie doll and William's Space ship.

William and Catherine, who had returned from the village school long before Sarah came home, had made a camp under the dining table, draped with blankets and boxed in with mattresses from their own and Sarah's beds. They laughed and giggled and thought it was fun. And buster was under there with them, yelping and barking in some rough-and-tumble game.

"Get that dog out of here!" Veronica told Sarah.

It was a terrible thing to do. William screamed and clung to hi. He was only five and did not understand….they might have to stay indoors for weeks, everyone shut inside the living room and never going out. They could not have Buster with them. They would probably have to eat his dog food and they might even have to eat Buster himself. On her hands and knees Sarah crawled beneath the table and dragged the dog from William's arms.

"He'll be all right," she said consolingly. "He can catch rats and it might only be for a little while. Mummy doesn't want him to wee on the carpet, that's all" She carried Buster outside and set him down, watched him frisk across the orchard. She had to remember…..a fat cocker spaniel in the last bright moments of life…sunlight among Ambrosia fruit trees a scent of wallflowers and the massed colors of the flowers. She had to remember the strawberry plantation beyond the orchard wall, sheep bleating on Wolf hills, and the church bell tolling….dong…..dong….dong.

Sarah looked up at the purple heavenly sky. In the end people turned to their Gods. But the death that would come had nothing to do with them. No this came from the continent to the north. From the foundry, once an ally who was now in talks to stop the war. Seems they had decided to end it their way. With fire and screams. Away to the north she heard a rumble of thunder, or maybe a nuclear explosion. It did not matter which. Nothing mattered any more. All art, all knowledge, all civilization, evolution and aeons of time were meaningless now. Up from the river the bluebreasts drifted like scraps of blown paper. Their bird voices screamed as she wanted to scream….scream out her anger and despair, the single word, the one almighty question…..why?

Catherine came running from the house.

"Hades! Hades!" Catherine shouted. "Mummy says Hades has been hit and you're to come inside!" She stopped and touched Sarah's arm. "Oh look, there's a butterfly" she said.

It was a red Admiral sunning it's wings on a clump of flowers. It was the last thing Sarah saw…..a butterfly among flowers and Buster's brown doggy eyes laughing at her from the shadows of the apple orchard, before she went inside and closed the door.

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When Sarah closed the kitchen door the last of the daylight was shut out and Veronica went to work with the sticky tape. Already the room felt like a prison. The electric light seemed gloomy and unreal, the atmosphere hot and stuffy. Veronica pushed newspaper into the keyhole and the voice of the radio announcer droned on in a slightly panicked tone.

"_Stay in where you are. Remain in your houses. Close all doors and windows. Secure one room against fallout and flying glass. Do not go outside until you are told it is safe to do so by the military."_ Sarah stopped listening. She sat on a dining chair, chewing her fingernails, and wishing her father would come home.

"Stop doing that!" Veronica said angrily. Guiltily Sarah stopped

"_Remain in your houses"_ said the radio announcer.

"This is my house," Catherine said from beneath the table. "I'm going to live in it for ever and ever. And you can, William."

"What about my tea?" said William.

"We can have tea here," said Catherine. "And dinner and supper. The man says we mustn't go out at all."

"Suppose I want to go to the toilet?" said William.

"Mummy says we have to go on the commode."

"And Sarah?"

Sarah felt sick at the thought of it. They would have to live with the stink, all of them together in the closed-in room. A few flies buzzed around the lampshade and Veronica's lips twisted in distaste. Like Sarah she realized their sanitary arrangements were totally inadequate but it was too late now to fetch the disinfectant from the bathroom.

"_Remain in your houses,"_ the announcer repeated, voice out of breath. _"Do not go outside until you are told it is safe to do so. Reports of one man rolling tanks moving in behind the bombs, looking like giant pepper…" _ Then, quiet suddenly, his monotonous voice stopped talking. And a few minutes later the lights went out.

"This is it," Veronica said grimly.

"Aphrodite?" asked Sarah.

"It's all dark!" Catherine shrieked. "I don't like it! I want to be with you, Mummy!"

"Stay where you are!" Veronica said urgently. "Sarah and I are right here in the room and the dark won't hurt you. You must stay under the table and look after William."

"I'm not afraid of the dark," William said scornfully.

"Then you look after Catherine," Veronica said.

Sarah's whole body was tense and listening. It was very dark in the room but a faint line of sunlight showed through the weave of the blanket at the top of the window. She heard a rumble in the distance, a great wave of sound that came sweeping towards her, engulfing everything in its path, drowning Catherine's cries. Sarah blundered towards the fragile edge of light as the blast struck the house.

Roof tiles smashed and windows were blown inward. Books and ornaments and light fittings crashed and fell in the upstairs rooms. In the howling darkness the mattress sagged and the bookcase started to topple. The black human shape that was Veronica screamed at her to help. But Sarah was already there, moved by her instinct, exerting force against force. The blanket tore at its nails, came loose at one corner. Heat screamed through the crack, Sarah had on brief glimpse of devastation, a hurricane of tearing trees and whirling leaves, the sky gone dark and lurid with fire, before the wind passed over them and things sank back into stillness. Catherine was sobbing beneath the table. Fragments of glass slipped and fell. The air was stifling.

"Is it over?" Sarah asked.

" That was just the beginning," Veronica said brutally.

"We don't stand a chance!" Sarah cried.

"There's a torch on the mantelpiece!" Veronica told her. "And the hammer is beside it. I'll need nails too. Hurry up!"

Veronica removed the bookcase and nailed the blanket back into place. They had to have something heavier, she said, and between them they managed to lift the sofa on top of the sideboard. It was made of leather and horse hair and it's carved legs hooked over the back. Sheets and blankets were jammed into the space along the top as the next wave of sound came screaming towards them.

They applied their shoulders, all the strength they had, to hold the sofa in place as the bombs fell over the other cites. As each city was hit a great wind followed, a roaring tide of heat and darkness that smashed like a gigantic fist against the house. Even through the thickness of the walls Sarah seemed to see it….hell-bright hues, impressions of colors that flashed and pulsed, rose and gold and red-vermilion, impaled on her eyes as the wind screamed through the broken upstairs windows and the barricade shuddered. Wave after wave of thundering sound beat at the doors and walls of their sanctuary, until it faded away into silence.

They listened and waited. Buster was howling outside and in the hall the ancient grandfather clock struck four, a silly incongruous sound. It had been a very short war, and they heard nothing more.

"I guess it's over," Veronica said.

"Aphrodite?" Asked Sarah.

"Everything," Veronica replied.

Sarah let go. She was weak and shaking. There was a pain in her shoulder where the wooden frame of the sofa had cut into her flesh, and her hands hurt so much she could hardly bear it. She sat in the dark on the dining chair, biting her lip. Veronica switched on the torch.

"Are you all right?"

Sarah wanted to cry, weep like a small child, pretend Veronica was her mother, cling to her for comfort like William and Catherine always did. But she and Veronica had never been close. Veronica was just the women her father had married, mother of William and Catherine, but nothing to do with Sarah.

"Do you think Daddy's still alive?" she asked

"If he is," said Veronica, "he won't be able to come to us. There's no point in hoping, Sarah. We're on our own."

"We don't even like each other very much," Sarah mourned.

"Then I suggest we start," Veronica said crisply. "Because all we have is each other." Sarah bent her head as tears trickled down her cheeks.

"I can't bear it," she said.

"I want my tea," said William.

"What about Buster?" Catherine sobbed.

"And this is the way the world ends," Veronica murmured. "Not with a bang, but a whimper."

TBC…………

KITG. Well here is the start of a new story for you. Now I warn you I don't know how often I will be able to update as the move draws close. But bear with me.

See you in time.


	2. Chapter 1: Ashes to Ashes

Swirls of blue light, joining to make an otherworldly tunnel of travel. The road of the fourth dimension. Along this road the last TARDIS twirled, its course set as she headed to her destination. The swirling blue of the Time Corridor showing the ancient craft was traveling forward in time. Inside the Doctor sat by the console, the green glow of the central column washing over him, the deep hum of the TARDIS engines embracing him. Telling him he was safe inside her, all were safe inside her. His mind drifted through the here and now, the past and the future the intricate ties of time showing him, the last Time Lord that for the moment time was flowing smoothly.

He looked up to see Rose walk in, cups of tea in her hand. She handed him one of them, he nodded his thanks before taking a sip. She sat down beside him, shoulder touching. They enjoyed the companionable silence, their legs propped on the console as they enjoyed the rare moment of silence. She drunk her tea, placing her cup on the floor, then she reached over the console, giving it a quick caress as she reached for the metallic, bumpy ball object he often threw around in the quiet time. She started throwing it gently from hand to hand.

"So where are we going today Doctor?" she asked him, her voice soft over the hum of the TARDIS.

"A few thousand years in your future. To the EVE system." He replied.

"EVE?"

"In the year 4079, after a few world wars over your home system, humans found a wormhole that led to the other side of the Universe. And you humans and your names. You dubbed it EVE. Also calling the first planet you landed on EVE. The planet is a lot like Earth. Right atmosphere, the sky is purple, the sun a lighter shade, more of a lilac hue."

"Purple skies? That's so strange" she smiled in delight, looking forward to seeing this.

"You built cities, naming them after Greek Gods. So there was Hades, and the others. Also there were continents names after various Geek legends. 50 years after the founding the Wormhole collapsed, and they were alone in the universe. There was famine, death. But the resilient creatures you are, you rebuilt. The Tales of your home world becoming legend itself." He smiled, now getting off the chair to bounce around the console. "You Humans, you just amaze me. Capable of such horror, but also capable of such miracles. Conquering the odds to survive."

"Look at you… been at the coffee again?" she smiled, sticking her tongue out between her teeth in that way he loved.

"You're never going to let me forget that are you?" he whined.

"I can't help it if you just had to try that coffee called 'Rocket Fuel'" She sniggered. He had been high for ages. Babbling more than usual and so fast she had caught only the first word and the last word; the rest had been a blur of noise.

"Well, it was nice…"

"But you didn't have to drink the whole bag in one day," she threw the ball at him. He caught it with a guilty grin. Rose looked down to what she was wearing, black jeans with a dragon down one leg, her black Punky Fish hoody, black top. "Will this be okay, Doctor?"

"Yeah, they're just about wearing the same. So you'll be fine. Right hold on, purple skies, gentle breezes await," he bounded up to the console, Rose just to the side as she held on to the mushroom shaped control center. The pitch of the engines changed as the TARDIS began to shake, her landing imminent. Just before the last second of dematerialization it was like the TARDIS had a hiccup, she lurched then leaned to one side… held there for a moment, then fell over. Rose and the Doctor landed in a heap near the door that led deeper into the TARDIS. The door to exit the TARDIS now on the ceiling, they would have no way to reach it without a ladder.

"Well that was new, you all right Rose?" he reached over to come into contact with her wrist. This was replaced with her hand as she gave his a quick squeeze.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Probably going to have a huge bruise on my side. But when is that any different?" she got up, now standing on the wall. The Doctor gave her a quick look to make sure she was fine. Then climbed to the console, standing on the back of the chair.

"Hold onto something while I change the room"

"Change the room?" she asked, thinking it was a funny time to redecorate.

"You'll see. Hold onto the railing" So she did as the Doctor reached for a button. He paused for a moment, his hand hovering above the pyramid shaped button. Before finally pressing it. Nothing happened for a moment, making him run his hand through his hair in confusion. Until finally with a yell on his part, the room turned. The floor becoming the floor again.

"Ow!" she looked over to see him holding his nose, he must have smacked it on the console. "I hit my nose" it came out muffled as he had his hands over it.

"Let me look" she moved his hand away. It was red but wasn't bleeding. "Awww poor Mr Nose" she giggled, going on tiptoe to give his nose a little kiss.

"Mr Nose?" he raised an eyebrow. She giggled at his face. Sticking out her tongue again.

"So what happened?" Rose asked as he was now back at the console.

"I don't know….it's like she tripped or something" he mumbled

"The TARDIS can trip?" she asked wide eyed.

"Yep!"

"But she doesn't have legs"

"Just because she doesn't have legs doesn't mean she can't trip," he replied offhand as he hit the console screen, but it remained blank. "Oh well, we're not going to get anything from this until we straighten her up. He walked back to the console to get his long brown jacket that had been tossed over the stabilizer handle earlier. Rose went to the door and opened it, sticking her head out. To find the TARDIS was on its side….but she was standing on the floor.

"Okay that is just sooo wrong" It made her feel queasy, she yelp as the Doctor pushed her out the Door, it was meant to be gentle but she landed with a bump as she fell the side that was steeper than the other above the ground.

She did not fall onto lush dark green grass under a purple sky. No she landed on an ash covered ground, the sky a raging sea of gray cloud the ash still falling from them, lightening flashing to and fro, the air cold and biting in the darkness. In the distance were some hills; it seemed to be some ruins upon them. Here and there were the rotting carcasses of sheep.

"Rose. Get back in now!" The Doctor was practically dragging her back in; he carried her into the med bay, placing her on a bed, before having a blue beam washing over them both. Then he was handing her a green pill. "Take this, Rose" she swallowed it without a second thought.

"What was that?"

"Anti-radiation pill. It's ever so slightly roasty out there." He stroked her cheek "Sorry for pushing you out the Door, should have gone out first…"

"It's alright, you weren't to know" She placed her hand over his, when it came to her he could still have dark moments in which his eyes would lose their bright spark; being replaced by concern and guilt.

"I still should have checked first"

"Oh, stop it!" she poked him in the ribs making him jerk away. "We were messing around. Besides I guess its not supposed to look like a Volcano just erupted outside anyway"

"It's not a Volcano, with this amount of radiation, this is a nuclear fall out. Been about a month by the looks of it." He replied, his eyes not seeing as he was trying to think if EVE went to war. But found no trace. "But it's not supposed to be like this. We should be in time for the founding festival. There should be music, flowers in bright bloom. Not ash and death. This is wrong." He began to walk back towards the console room, Rose followed. He only stopped halfway there to look in a store cupboard, passing her some ropes while he carried a flat metallic object, about the size of a paving stone.

"What's that?"

"It will lift the TARDIS up. So we can get her straight. Then I can do some scans." She followed him out back on the ash-covered land. He had assured her because they had both swallowed the anti-radiation pill they would be safe.

He tied the ropes to the top of the TARDIS then slipped the thin metal under the top end that was on the floor. He stood back taking a firm hold on the ropes then turned to her.

"Rose, press the button on the TARDIS jack…" Rose sniggered.

"TARDIS jack?"

"Well it is! Just press the button, then press it again when I tell you" she pressed the button, the flat metal vibrated then the TARDIS slowly began to lift off the ground, below it a column of blue light that pushed it higher. As it got to the top, the TARDIS once more vertical and the Doctor straining on the ropes to stop it falling the other way. He told her to press the button again…..with a slight problem….she was too short.

"Why did I have to pick a vertically challenged girl as my companion?" he groused as he tried to hold the TARDIS.

"You're going to get a slap you are!" she glared back then reached down to pick up a stick she had seen beneath the ash. With this she pressed the button switching off the TARDIS jack. The Doctor then let go of the ropes; he proceeded to give her a lift so she could untie the rope, and then placed her on the floor. With the rope now in her hand and the TARDIS upright they could finally take in the world around them.

A chill wind blew across the darkened sky, whirled dead leaves from the trees and whipped up the dust, covered the tracks of shoes on the road. The wind that sang through the silence was the only sound and Rose shivered. It began to rain; it swept across the barren land, black and icy, leaving gritty traces on their faces and hands. Maybe the fields would grow again. Maybe it would wash the darkness from the skies. The Doctor grabbed her hand as they ran for shelter, seeing a sign on the door of a home, the wood burnt to cinders but the raised surface still showing the name, 'Badwolf Moon cottage' causing the Doctor to do a double take at the name.

They passed through a kitchen, the dust thick inside. The door before them had been opened, the half circle cut into the dust. The sink, everything was covered in this thick layer. It clung in the air, heavy, oppressive. Like the thickness before a heavy thunderstorm. The Doctor carefully opened the door, inside was thick darkness, the sick sweet smell Rose knew all too well, the smell of rotting flesh. The Doctor tightened his grip on her hand as he pulled out a flashlight and scanned it round the room. Rose gasped as the light illuminated one corner, there was a young teenager, with boy child of about 5 in her arms. Both had radiation sores, hair falling out.

"Looks like they've been dead about 10 days." He swung the flashlight to the left, the light catching the white pill bottle "suicide, couldn't stand the radiation sickness anymore." His face was hard as steel lined with the sorrow; radiation sickness was a bad way to die. The Doctor headed towards the door, seeing in the stand by the back door a large green fishing umbrella. He took it out before holding out his hand for Rose. She was stood there, looking at the corpses of the young ones.

"Rose…" she met his eyes, he saw the trace of horror and pain. Then her gaze flicked back, seeing a leather book, looking like a journal. She carefully took it before having one last look at them.

"Rest easy, sweethearts…" then she had the Doctors hand in her own, he pulled her close to his side. Opening the umbrella to keep the black rain at bay. They traveled over the now slick-black-ash slurry as the rain continued. In the distance they could see a farm, they headed for this, as the rain became snow, blinding in its intensity. The hurried inside. The living room was clear, so the Doctor built a fire using the Sonic Screwdriver to ignite it. Then he sat down behind her so she was tucked in between his legs, grabbing a patchwork quilt off the settee he pulled it round them both. Rose was shivering against him, the temperature drop severe

"That w-w-w-was quick Doctor" her teeth chattered, but her shivering lessoned as the room heated up from the heat of the fire and the heat being generated by the both of them. Yes his body temperature was lower than hers, but even in this cold he felt warm to her.

"Must have been numerous explosions, and from the extent of the erratic weather, each must have been five times the power of Hiroshima." He hugged her close to him, seeing her pull out the book she had picked up. "What's that?"

"I found it near the two in the house, looks like a journal" she replied, pulling out before both of them. As the wind howled and the black tainted snow fell. They read about what happed after the bombs fell. When the real nightmare began….

TBC….

KITG: hope this is still grabbing your attention : ) as I said, sorry if I seem to disappear out of the Time Vortex. As my TARDIS is relocating so will be off the matrix for a while. (In primitive ape terms…I'm moving house and am going to be off the Internet, might be from the 30th onwards for 10 days)


	3. Chapter 2 The last words of innocence

The last words of Innocence

That first evening was strange and special, as if it was someone's birthday, a change from the usual household routine. They ate by candlelight….fish fingers, chips and beans. Then they ate the thawing ice cream pudding for desert. The milk would also not keep for long, so Veronica mad custard and some coco that she placed in a thermos. The rest she placed in bowls of water to keep them from going sour overnight.

Afterwards they played guessing games and Sarah read fairy stories by Hans Anderson. They tried not to listen to Buster whining outside the window, his claws scratching at the woodwork, begging to come in. Veronica said he had to stay out there, so they all sang songs to help William forget, their voices drowning out the pitiful doggy sounds he made. But always, in the background, Buster remained. And the candle lasted only four hours.

Sarah had found one of her dad journals, empty never to be written in by it's intended owner. She had no idea of the time, the digital watch on her wrist that would normally glow with green numbers, had been rendered useless by the EMP that came with each explosion. She decided to write in the book, so people would remember what had happened to them. Plus it stopped her from bursting into tears. She took up the pen in the sitting candlelight and began to tell their tale.

_The Day the world ended_

_I found one of my dad's journals. Wish he was here, Veronica says if he is still alive it will take him at lest two weeks before he would be able to leave wherever he is. William is complaining already, but he's only a kid. He keeps wanting Buster to come in and wanting mars bars. He doesn't know that Veronica can no longer give him these things…._

"We haven't washed," Catherine's voice interrupted her writing "Or cleaned our teeth."

"You can be excused tonight," Veronica said.

"Can we be excused tomorrow as well?" Catherine asked.

"Yes," Veronica replied with an exasperated sigh "now go to sleep"

It was a hot still night, windless and quiet; nine o'clock by the clock on the mantle piece. And old wind up device so the EMP would have no effect on it. It was probably still light outside. Unless it were dark, she thought, like the old tales of when Christ was crucified and the skies turned black reflecting the evil of mankind. She imagined the dust of fall-out blowing across the ruins of their civilization, burying buildings and people. It was a terrible punishment for a fifteen-year-old girl who had done nothing wrong.

Catherine and William whispered and giggled beneath the table, but then Buster returned to whine under the window again. He wanted his supper, William said, and demanded he be let in. Veronica tried to explain. One night without supper would not hurt him. He was too fat anyway. Maybe tomorrow they would let him in. But William went on asking, his small boy's voice growing querulous and tearful in the darkness. Finally Veronica shouted at Buster, loud and angrily, told him to go and lie down. Her tone must have reached him. For they heard nothing more….only William muttering and crying, saying how cruel and horrible Veronica was, but after a while he too fell silent.

"William's asleep," Catherine announced.

"So why aren't you?" Veronica asked her.

She wanted to use the commode. Veronica put a large saucepan lid over it but the smell was still there, strong and obnoxious, lingering in the room. They would not be able to live with it, Sarah thought. They would not be able to live in the stinking perpetual dark with nothing to do and only a few hours of candlelight a day, four people trapped in one room and two of them children. William and Catherine would not be content sitting still for the next two weeks, just thinking and talking and playing games with their minds. They would more likely drive each other mad.

"Veronica?" Sarah said quietly. "What are we going to do?"

"Go to sleep," Veronica muttered.

"I'm not a baby!" Sarah retorted. "We've got to talk."

"Not in front of Catherine.."

"She's asleep. I can hear her breathing. We'll never stand living like this, Veronica. We've got to have some sort of plan."

"What do you suggest?" Veronica asked her.

"I don't know."

"Then we'll have to manage as best we can. Live each day at a time and try not to think of it."

"We'd be better off dead!" Sarah said bitterly.

"Don't talk like that," Veronica begged.

"It's true!" said Sarah "There's only one thing worse than dying in a nuclear war, and that's surviving! We haven't started yet! Even if we live through the next fourteen days there will be nothing left at the end of it…. just ruins and radiation sickness…no one to help us, no means of living. Even the soil and water will be contaminated! We'll die anyway, so what's the point in trying to survive now?"

"What's the alternative?" Veronica asked quietly.

"We could get something from the chemist's."

"Commit suicide, you mean? Is that what you want to do?"

"Don't you?" Sarah asked.

Veronica sighed.

"If it were only myself I think I wouldn't hesitate. But I've Catherine and William to consider. It mightn't be as bad as we think, and they might still have future. I've got no right to take it away, Sarah."

"What about me?" Sarah asked.

"I can't answer for you," Replied Veronica coldly.

Sarah chewed her fingernails. A sick heavy feeling lodged in her stomach, a dull acceptance that was worse than fear. She sensed that the future held no hope, at least not for herself. But Veronica was compelled to live for the sake of William and Catherine, and so too was Sarah, because that was the only purpose she had left. She reached down and picked up the journal she had stared earlier. And continued to write..

_.. " I can't believe it has come to this……"_

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Rose shivered as she finished the first entry; this early the poor girl had contemplated suicide. This Veronica, her step mum, seemed to have little care for Sarah. Sarah must have felt so alone, so lost. She felt the Doctor move as he threw some more wood on the fire, the wind howling with the snow, passing under the door to create a chill draft. The Doctor pulled the quilt tighter round them, as she snuggled back to him.

"Poor thing," Rose sniffed. "She was so alone"

"Yes, but the entries continue. She must have been strong. So strong." The Doctor whispered in her ear. "Continue reading, let's see what happened.

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_Day 1 after the bombs fell._

_I woke up to the smell, clinging to everything……_

Sarah awoke in the stinking stifling dark to the sound of buster howling around the walls and William asking to get up. It was not time, Veronica said. But the clock showed ten minutes past ten. It was Tuesday morning, the late beginning of another day, and Veronica was trying to delay the start of it.

"Go back to sleep!" she said curtly. But William had slept already for thirteen hours and would not sleep again, not with Buster yelping outside.

"He wants his breakfast!" William said angrily.

"And I do," said Catherine.

"We have to get up sometime," Sarah said.

Veronica switched on a torch. In her crumpled clothes, her hair dishevelled, she rose from the sofa an crossed the muddles of the floor. There were tearstains on her face and reflections shone on the blank television screen. A photograph of Sarah's father watched from the mantelpiece as she washed in a bucket of cold water and ran a comb through the tangles of her hair. The she lit the second candle, switching off the torch, and lifted the blanket that draped the table.

"All right, you can come out now. Wash your faces and hands in the end bucket and find something to wear,"

"You said we didn't have to wash," Catherine reminded her.

"So get yourself dressed then."

"I want to stay in my house."

"You can't stay in there all day!"

"I shall stay in here for ever and ever," Catherine said stubbornly.

"I'm going to let Buster in," said William

"You're leaving him where hi is!" Veronica snapped.

"You said he could come in!" William argued. "Tomorrow, you said. And it is tomorrow!"

"He can come in later," Veronica promised.

"I want him to come in now!" William stamped his foot.

"Do as I tell you!" Veronica scolded. "And come away from that door!"

"I hate you!" William screeched.

Sarah wiped her face with a wet flannel, pulled on her jeans and T-shirt as Veronica cooked bacon and sausages and sliced tomatoes over the camping stove. Already the situation was getting on Veronica's nerves. Catherine behaved well. She tidied her house below the table, made a tablecloth with a spread-out newspaper, and ate her breakfast with two slices of bread and a mug of tea. But William refused to change from his pyjamas. He sat and sulked in the corner by the sofa as Buster howled outside and the sausages and bacon congealed on the plate.

"I don't want no breakfast!" William said Savagely. "If Busters not having any then I'm not having any neither! So there! And you'll be sorry then when I'm starved to death!"

"Don't count on it!" Veronica said brutally.

Someone had to get through to William. Someone had to explain about Buster and persuade him to eat. But Veronica was in one of her moods, brooding and silent, eating her breakfast at the far end of sofa. It hand to be Sarah who put aside everything she, who dug deeper than grief or worry into the still quiet centre of herself, and did what Veronica could not.

She sat on the floor beside her small half-brother and took him in her arms. He was the only reason she would go on living and she gave him all she had…..her pity, her comfort and her love. And perhaps she had never loved William before, but she loved him now. And told him what he needed to know. Outside there was dust, falling like snow, and if they opened the door to let Buster in the dust would come in too, and kill them. He had to be brave and strong, do what Veronica asked, and eat his breakfast.

"Will the dust kill Buster?" William Inquired.

"Yes," said Sarah

"Why tell him that?" Veronica said angrily.

"Because it's true," said Sarah. "And he has to know."

It was odd how easily William accepted that Buster was going to die- how he could talk of it without tears or emotion as he eat his breakfast as he did so. And when the room snuffed back into darkness it was William who shouted, "Go away Buster! You can't come in!"

"Poor little Buster," Catherine sobbed.

"The Gods will look after him," Veronica told her.

The Gods would not give him food and water, Sarah thought. And nor could she and Veronica sit there and let Buster die. Not even Veronica could be that uncaring. Underneath she would be feeling it, suffering it, the slow sad lingering hours and days of Buster life. Sarah knew that in the end she would give in and go outside. For a gold cocker spaniel Veronica would die.

And then Sarah would be left alone to keep William and Catherine alive, foraging among the ruins of the village when their food supplies ran out. She tried not to think of it, but in the hot dark room there was nothing else to do but think. She could find in her thoughts no hope or consolation, but neither did she dread the time that was to come. Perhaps she was gone beyond fear. That moment when she had taken William in her arms had awakened something inside her…a calm and strength, as she had never known before. She felt there was something in her own being which nothing could destroy, that whatever occurred, however terrible, Sarah knew she could bear it.

She picked up the journal once more…

88888888

"Brave heart" the Doctor whispered in awe of this child, only 15 and ready to face the horrors before her. Rose was silent in his arms as the fire crackled, the log slipping a little sending up orange sparks that had a brief moment of life before they winked out of existence to join the sea of ash and dust.

They red on a bit more, the days following much the same pattern. At one point the Stepmother Veronica had gone outside, covering herself in bin bags in some kind of hazard suit the Doctor could imagine. She had found a farmer from this cottage, he had come over and shot buster. And given them some food. The kids all-staying inside. The entries told of how Veronica seemed to pull more within herself, breaking down finally. And Sarah had to hold it together for them all. They had found out that ash had been coming down the chimney, and contaminating the water in the bowls. Only the youngest Catherine had seemed to notice. Only drinking water that came from the bottles. And Veronica started showing signs of radiation sickness.

The Doctor felt Rose's hand seeking for his, he moved so they could join hands, fingers interlaced as comfort to them both as they reached an entry where they could see it all started to fall apart.

8888888888

_Day 11 after the bomb fell._

_William is sick…_

"William has diarrhoea," said Veronica

"He's eaten too many plums," replied Sarah

"He's sick" Said Veronica, Sarah looked at her.

"I'll look after him," she said.

Maybe Veronica needed to hear her say it one last time, for that night when William and Catherine were asleep she said she was leaving. She was just a burden, she said, and no more use. Dumbly in the candlelight Sarah watched her take some pills from the bottle she had gotten from the chemist last time she went outside. It was better this way, Veronica said. Better for all of them. And she was no longer afraid of death. It would be a relief. And that the gods she believed in had no more plans for her.

Sarah nodded. This was the moment they had both faced up to long ago and she did not try to stop her. It was not even terrible. The women that had married her father had become in the end the only friend and Sarah would never see her again. But the time was right and there was nothing left to say, not even goodbye. Maybe later she would cry and feel grief but now she simply accepted the end of Veronica as soon she would accept the end of William's and her own. After so much suffering there could be no sadness in letting someone go.

"Will you be all right?" Sarah asked.

"I'll go to the temple," Veronica replied sickly and closed the door.

It was the last Sarah saw of her, blue human eyes and a face covered with sores, turning to her gods. She snuffed out the candle and lay on her mattress on the floor. The room seemed empty now, a dark space were once Veronica had been. She could feel the loneliness like a pain. But by morning it had receded to a dull ache and Veronica was just a memory, a person who belonged to a purple and green lost world and was nothing to do with now.

Mummy had gone for a walk, she told William and Catherine, and she did not know when she would be back. They had asked no questions. Perhaps they too had gone beyond grieving or caring. They had bog meat rissoles for breakfast and William said his tummy ache was better. But there were sores on his skin and his eyes watered in the gloomy kitchen light. Death seemed to stare at Sarah from William's face, as if it were the only thing left in this world that had once been full of life. She wanted to do something, say something that would make him happy. She decided she had to get Catherine to somewhere better.

_"I'll take Catherine somewhere safe tomorrow, and them me and William can rest…"_

8888

The Doctor and Rose came to final entry. Tears stinging at Rose's eyes. Once more the Doctor placed wood on the fire, then retuned to sit behind Rose. He could tell she was growing tired.

"You should sleep Rose," he whispered. The wind still had yet to quieten in it's fury, the Doctor dreaded to think how deep the snow would be come morning. By his reckoning it was now ten at night.

"We need to finish this" And Rose began to read once more. The Doctor shivering momentarily, not from the cold. But Rose's voice making him envisioning her having to go through this.

"I took Catherine somewhere…"

888888

"_..safe and now I will sleep"_

"Catherine and I are going for a walk," She said. William nodded, not really caring.

"We might be gone for a long time," Sarah went on. "All day, perhaps, You'll have to stay here, William. I've opened a tin of Pineapple chunks. They're on the floor, right where you can reach them. Do you understand?"

"Will you come back?" William asked feebly.

"Just as soon as I can," Sarah promised.

Catherine stood in the doorway, unrecognisable in the torn garbage bag suit. She had a handkerchief tied over her nose and mouth and a plastic bag with air holes over the top. She did not yet know that somewhere out in the dark desolate world Sarah would abandon her.

"You can pull the shopping trolley," Sarah told her.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"We'll know when we get there," Sarah replied.

She turned the pram and heaved it through the doorway. Saucepans, dangling from the sides, rattled and banged, there were shoes and slippers and Wellington boots on the underneath rack, and seeds and rifles and tins of food were hidden inside beneath the jumble of Catherine's clothes. Blankets and a sleeping bag were piled on top and covered with polythene torn from the kitchen window. Nothing showed of any value except for the half-empty bag of dog biscuits.

"And that's all we've got if anyone asks," She told Catherine. "Just dog biscuits. Remember that."

"Are we going to look for mummy?" Catherine asked.

"No," said Sarah "We're going to look for somewhere better to live."

Dragging the shopping trolley Catherine followed behind. It was loaded with bottles of fruit that clinked in the silences, with a nightdress, sponge bag and a doll riding on top. Wheels made tracks in the sodden dust and a damp wind blew in their faces. The sky grew darker, an eerie gloom that swallowed the shapes of trees and houses, a wintry cold that chilled them to the bone. They were heading into it, a freezing journey that had no foreseeable end.

"I'm cold," Said Catherine. "I want to go home."

"We'll go home afterwards," Sarah replied.

She hoped they would not meet any people, but there was no one alive this side of the village so they had to go past the temple. There was a fire in the graveyard with dark shapes moving round it, and someone leaning on the lich gate watching them approach, a man coming towards them through the morning darkness and a women following behind. It was the first fear Sarah had felt since the bombs had fallen.

"What's in the pram?" The man asked.

"Things," said Sarah "We're looking for somewhere to live,"

"Food!" said the man

"No," Sarah said.

"Only dog biscuits," Catherine said fearfully. The women shuffled forward.

"I know you don't I? It's Sarah, isn't it? Sarah Haenden from across the common. You know Sarah, Ted? Veronica's daughter. She came to us the other night."

"Dead," said the man. "Veronica's dead."

"And I'm Mrs Porter," said the woman

Sarah remembered Mrs Porter. She had been fat once, but now she was thin, bald and shivering in the wind, dying like Sarah was. Catherine was crying because the man had said Veronica was dead, and Mrs Porter wanted them both to come into the church where everyone else was living. But Sarah had to get away from them. She had to take Catherine away.

"I'll wheel the pram," said the man.

"You don't understand!" Sarah said desperately. "My sister isn't sick! She's not sick at all! I have to find somewhere for her to live, a person, a place. She can't stay with us!" Mrs porter looked at Catherine's hidden face.

"I think we should let them go," she told the man.

"They've got food!" the man insisted.

"Didn't you hear what she said? The child isn't sick. That food is for her." Mrs Porter turned to Sarah. "You go my dear. Take your sister away. Ted won't stop you. H's not a bad man." Ted spat on the road as Sarah passed.

"_He_ won't help you!" he said bitterly. "He'll turn you away, same as he turned us away. And all he'll give you is a lettuce!"

The saucepans jangled, and the fruit bottles chinked in the shopping trolley as Sarah and Catherine walked away along the street of abandoned houses. The fire in the graveyard faded behind them and the man's words echoed in Sarah's head. _He_ would not help them, the man had said, and all he would give them was lettuce. Who had he meant?

"I don't want to go!" wept Catherine. "I don't want to go live with that horrible man! Don't make me go, Sarah! I want to stay with you and William!"

Johnson, thought Sarah. It had to be Johnson. She had remembered going there last summer with her father, driving along the track through the woods to Bad Wolf hill. His place was a forestry lodge, which had been converted to a farm.

Once off the road it was hard walking. The pram jolted over loose stones and the shopping trolley leaked crimson juice from a broken bottle of plums. Fallen trees and broken branches blocked the track and they had to detour through mounds of dusty undergrowth. Sarah was weak and sweating with the effort and twice on the way she had to stop to be sick. Then at the base of the hill behind the forest she saw the farm. Glasshouses bright with electrical light and pale smoke rising from the farmhouse chimney.

"I don't want to go there," Catherine said bleakly.

"I know," Said Sarah. "But there's nothing else I can do. And he'll look after you, you see."

Johnson came to meet them at the bottom of the track, the shape of a man in a navy blue overall, lean and tall in the twilight. An improvised helmet with a curved plastic visor concealed his face and he carried a shotgun. He had survived like Catherine because he took no chances, and the rifle was aimed at Sarah's head.

"I don't want to hurt you," Johnson said quietly. "But I'll kill you if I have to. I can give lettuces. Take them and go." Sarah pushed Catherine towards him.

"I'll go," she said, "But I'll leave Catherine here. We've taken good care of her. She isn't sick an she's able to work for her keep." Johnson stared and hesitated, then lowered the gun.

"I've been waiting for this," he said.

"You'll take her?" Sarah asked.

"I'm not much good with kids," Said Johnson. "Never had any of my own, but I'll take her. What did you say her name was?"

"Catherine," replied Sarah. Johnson nodded and opened the gate.

"Bring your shopping trolley in, little lady"

Alone, without Sarah, Catherine crossed the threshold of Johnson's land and stood forlorn beside him. Live Chickens scratched in a nearby glasshouse, and there were goats and sheep in another. Others contained lettuce, and cucumbers, and unripe tomatoes, trays of seedlings and bedding flowers. The blast had not damaged them. The glass was plastic and the bad wolf hills formed a sheltering amphitheatre all around. It was a good place in which to survive. Sarah parked the pram against the dry stonewall.

"You'd better have Catherine's things," She said. "There's seeds too, and all the tinned food we had left, and a twelve-bore shotgun."

"A gun," said Johnson. "You've got s gun?"

"One like yours," replied Sarah. Johnson laughed.

"This guns not real," he said, "It only works by fooling people. I carved it out of wood the week after the bombs went off, and painted it to look real. Real enough to frighten people away anyhow."

"They told us in the village," Sarah informed him. Johnson sighed.

"What else could I do? I had to turn those poor devils away. I don't have enough food to feed the whole wretched population. Enough for the living maybe, but not for the dying. If food would have saved them I would have given it willingly, believe me." Sarah did believe him. Johnson was a good man.

"Will you come and stay with your sister?" He asked her. Sarah shook her head.

"I have to go home," she said. "My little brother is sick. I see you have outbuildings here. There are five live calves at Crescent moon farm waiting to be collected. Nobody knows they're there. I barricaded the barn door to keep them safe but I think you should have them. You can use Farmer Arkright's Land Rover collectable. Think he kept some old carbon fuel."

A squall of icy rain cam down from the hills, rain like tears down Johnson's face as he lifted his eyes to the sky. He said if he ever believed in the gods he believed in them now. And this was the beginning of a brave new world. Sarah shivered and pulled the hood of her duffel coat. She had to go, she said, and looked up at the garbage bag figure of Catherine for the last time. Johnson rested his hand on the child's shoulder.

"I'll look after her," he said. "I'll teach her to grow. We'll build a world from the dust, she and I. It won't be easy, but we'll do it. We'll make it your sister and me"

Sarah coughed and smiled. Bright blood flecked the back of her hand and she did not worry. Johnson was part of the plan, a man with a vision, which she herself would never share. Her part was over, her purpose played out. She had lived for Catherine and now she gave Catherine to him. Finally satisfied, Sarah turned away, leaving man and child together in the rainy darkness.

"I'll call you Kate," she heard him say. "And you call me Johnson. There will be others, I expect, but it's you and I who have to make ready."

Johnson and Catherine, the pram and the shopping trolley, went rattling away towards the house as Sarah headed home up the long track. She had no reason now to go on living. Death would be a relief, Veronica had said, and in the sideboard drawer the bottle of pills waited. She would give half to William and take the rest herself, two lives ceasing together. It was better that way.

Pains gripped her stomach and she vomited blood, the hood of her duffel coat rubbed raw the sores on her scalp. In a world that was dark and ugly, where the wind whined through the silences, Sarah knew that she was ugly too…her youth and prettiness, her love and life and hope, laid waste by the holocaust of unknown war, But some things could never be destroyed….a child with her dreams…a man with his visions….and a gorse flower that bloomed in the dust. Sarah touched it, damp yellow petals, gold and fragile and strong. Alive and beautiful, it bloomed for the future, radiated the glory of the gods. In the end People turned to them, and Sarah could not be sorry..

_"I have just given William the pills, and laid him down. I'll take mine in a moment. I just wanted to finish this in case my dad ever finds it. Or anyone for that matter. Do not morn us, we have fulfilled our part, and Catherine is safe.._

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The journal ended there, the silence between the two companions at what those young ones had to go though. The Doctors confusion at this ever-happening at all. This was wrong. And Rose's sadness for those children, the eldest not much younger then her.

"Oh god Doctor" she managed as she closed the journal.

"They did what they thought they had to, they don't feel the pain anymore Rose" he tightened the embrace round Rosen the guided her to lie on her side, him still behind her. Then pulled her body in the curve of hers, trying to keep them warm. When they got out they would have to go back to the TARDIS and get her a warmer clothes at least. "Sleep Rose"

Rose closed her eyes, feeling the double heartbeat at her back, and the pulse under her fingers that were clasped in his hand. She drifted off to a light sleep, plagued by howling wolves and grating machinery…

TBC….

KITG : XX Gah that was a long chapter. hope you are all still with me...or are you dead?


	4. Chapter 3: The Ruins of Humanity

The Ruins of Humanity

The night passes slowly, the weather so changed that night held its grip longer. The Doctor knew what classed as mornings was in fact around noon. The clouds so thick that night passed beyond the dawn, grasping until the snow abated. He looked out, having no idea how deep the snow would have become. Maybe above the knees? He looked down as Rose stirred in his embrace, the feel of her warm breath on his neck as she had buried her head under his chin. Their legs had become entangled in the need to get closer for the warmth.

He kissed the top of her head, and she stirred taking a deep breath. He shivered and he hoped she thought it was because of the cold. Her head raised, bleary eyed, blinking at the Doctor.

"Hi"

"Hello" he smiled at her, then watched her blush as she realised how entangled they had become "were you a contortionist in a past life?" he asked cheekily, earning a slap on the shoulder.

"Brrrr, God it's cold Doctor." She shivered, disappearing under the throw to get back to the momentary warmth.

"I know, lets get back to the TARDIS, get some warmer clothes then see what's going on." The Doctor got to his feet, pulling Rose up with him, seeing the goose bumps rise on her skin. He grabbed the throw and wrapped it around her form. Rubbing her arms to keep the warmth in. "Come on,"

They walked through the remains of the kitchen, broken plates and glass on the floor, their outlines softened by the layers of gray ash. The cold wind hit them as the it blew through the broken windows, a little pile of snow flowing down like small ski slops from the base of the window pane to the worktop. Rose shivered at the sight of the snow, no longer the pure white but almost black. The snow the same shade as the slush after the thaw. The dirt mixed in as it melted. But this, it was like it was showing how tainted this world had become. The innocence lost in a blaze of nuclear fire.

The Doctor opened the door, the black snow falling in. It was as he expected just above knee height. He looked at Rose's face.

"Got any tennis rackets in that coat of yours?" she asked tongue between her teeth

"What?" he asked confused.

"You know, to tie to our feet so we don't sink in the snow"

"Oh! Snow shoes, no sorry all out of them." the Doctor rolled his eyes at her as he started making a path in the snow.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, you never know what you have in your bloody pockets. I keep expecting the kitchen sink" her voice wavered as she tried to stop shivering.

The surroundings now instead on the gnarled trees and carcass of farm animals were odd mounds here and there in the smooth layer of dark snow. It was as if the dark storm clouds had fallen to the ground. They made their way back to where they had left his TARDIS. But as they got near they could see the ground was flat under the snow, no bump to give away where it was.

"You s..s..Sure you p.p.p.parked here?" Rose stuttered.

"Course I'm sure!" the Doctor exclaimed. The sky had become dark once more, threatening more snow.

"S..s…sorry" Rose stuttered voice hurt as the Doctor had almost shouted at her. He turned to her, seeing her lips turning blue. He moved up to her, bringing her into his arms trying to warm her up.

"No, I'm sorry. Not your fault, I get touchy when someone moves my TARDIS" he explained, looking apologetic.

"It's okay, I'd get moody to if someone went off with my camper van"

"Camper van! You saying my fantastic time ship is a camper van?" he looked at her shocked and insulted on his TARDISes behalf. Rose giggled and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

"So w…w..what n.n..now?" she asked. As he still looked at her mock insulted, but inside he knew she had said that to get his mind off the guilt that had crept inside at the situation they were now in.

"Head that way?" he pointed to the distance.

"Why t..that way?" she looked trying to see what he had.

"Because there's smoke, and where there is smoke there is fire, and where there is fire in this weather there are people round it." He set off, Rose following.

"Or people standing round it watching as someone is burnt at the steak" she muttered darkly.

"You're never going to let me forget that are you?"

"Nope" Rose laughed as the Doctor shook his head in mock exasperation.

8888888

They continued on, wading through the thick tainted snow. They came to the streets of what once must have been the town. There were mounds here and there, the Doctor dug around one to find a hover car, rendered inactive thanks to the electromagnetic pulse.

At the end of the street they could see the temple, one of the tower crumbled, the bell no doubt fallen to the bottom. It was from here the smoke came from. In the graveyard was a barrel fire; Rose could see shapes moving around the fire for warmth. Inside through the once stained glass windows, now boarded up to ward the wind, was more light. The light was dull, must be candles the Doctor thought.

As they drew near they could see people watching them, starving wretches, hair gone, faces covered with radiation sores. They looked at them like they were the abnormal ones, that the perfect un-marked skin was not natural. The Doctor looked as some of the men looked at Rose with blazing lust. He placed a protective arm round Rose as they came closer.

"What we ave ere?" one male asked, eye swollen closed, puss leaking from the side. Tufts of hair ragged and tangled, blew in the cold wind.

"We were just looking for somewhere warm, but I can see you're full, so we'll just pass on" The Doctor replied, keeping himself between the men and Rose. But now more had come forward, all looking at the un-marked form of Rose.

"You found a pretty one there, shame to keep her all to yourself" one reached out to touch Rose, she shied back. The Doctor knocked the mans hand away.

"Don't you touch her!" his voice full of malice and their only warning.

"Poor thing seems cold, we'll soon warm her up won't we boys?" one laughed, pushing the Doctor out of the way and lunging for Rose.

"Get off me" Rose shouted at him, he had caught the throw, Rose threw it off kneeing him in the groin. He doubled over with a shout, hands over the place of impact.

"Leave her alone!" The Doctor tried to get to Rose, who was standing in the thigh high snow, shivering with her arms about her. But two men had come forward, holding tight to his arms. The men had surprising strength despite their ill appearance, The man from before now getting up and moving back towards Rose. The Doctor struggled; he could not let this happen.

"Oh, you're a feisty one, I'll have fun with you" Rose was being backed into a wall.

"You touch me again and I'll m….m..make sure you never think about it again" Rose threatened, voice stuttering thanks to the cold.

"Oh, will you now pet?" he rushed her, them both disappearing into the deep snow. The Doctor could see her flailing around trying to kick the guy off, her screaming at him and calling for the Doctor.

"No! Get off her! Leave her alone!" He wrenched his arm free, throwing the man holding the other arm to the ground with a crunch of snow, and then he was running to Rose. He pulled the man off her with strength he didn't know he had, the man landed near the first, he then helped Rose to her feet. Her top was ripped exposing the pink bra underneath. Her lip was bleeding where she had been struck. The Doctor stood before her, ready to fight off the three men that were again coming closer.

"STOP THIS!" all turned to the entrance to see a man in robes. "You will not defile this innocent in the grounds of the Gods" he had a gun in his hands, pointing at the men. "Go back inside"

The men growled walking off, the leader wrapping the blanket around himself and throwing a sneer at Rose shivering in the cold. The Doctor did not relax his stance as he watched, Rose holding on to the back of his coat. Once they were out of sight he took his coat off and placed it round Rose.

"W….w…..what about you?" She asked in a weak voice. As she tried to disappear into the coat, reveling in the momentary warmth from his body.

"I'll be fine," He turned to the priest as he came closer. "Thank you"

"You two should go, there is no place for you here among the damned." He said sadly, his appearance like the rest,

"But I need to get Rose some clothes…she'll freeze to death." The Doctor laid his hand on the priests arm.

"You can not come in son, there are many more like those inside, and I will not be able to hold them all at bay." He recanted sadly, "go to the hills, I see you have not been cursed by the Gods, there is a farm at the bottom of the hill. You will find your welcome there….go quickly" the priest left them to walk back inside the temple, the statues of various deities fallen to the floor.

"Come on Rose" he lead Rose back out of the graveyard, she was shivering so much, her lips blue. He needed to get her somewhere warm; she would get pneumonia, frost bite and ultimately die. They walked towards the hill, Rose tucked safely under his arm as he guided her through the snow.

"So Rose, where do you fancy to go shopping" he asked randomly, he had to keep her talking. She blinked a few times, the now falling snow collecting on her drooping eyelashes.

"Wha?" she asked confused, wondering what he was going on about now.

"You know, once we're finished here…. Jupiter? Saturn? There's a nice restaurant I should take you to on Saturn" he babbled on as the farmhouse finally came into view, the smoke rising from the twin chimneys. He could see the greenhouses containing plants and animals. All safe and warm, well fed too by the looks.

"Doctor…I'm cold" Rose slurred; he legs gave way as her eyelids closed briefly.

"Wake up Rose, I know you're cold. But you need to stay awake" he shock her, rubbing her hands in his to get some warmth in them.

"I'm tired," she slurred, no longer shivering and that worried him more.

"I know, but stay with me Rose" he pleaded as he picked her up in his arms. Her head lolling on his shoulder.

"….always" she whispered.

The Doctor waded through the snow with as much speed as he could, he came to the gate just as the door to the fame house opened. A man in a navy blue overall, a makeshift helmet on. In his hand was a shotgun, an old relic but probably the only thing that still worked, the EMP having made all sonic blasters inoperative,

"I'm sorry, I can give you some lettuces but you have to leave" the man called to them the gun aimed at them both.

"Please, she's freezing to death. I need to get her warm," the Doctor pleaded.

"I don't have enough food for the dying, just about enough for the living.

"We haven't got radiation sickness, look at her. Would she have all her hair, no sores if she had? Would I?" he shouted, his eyes black.

"What about her lip? Looks like a sore to me"

"She was attacked by those at the temple. They nearly raped her and now you are going to let her freeze to death!" The man looked at them both a moment….then lowered the gun.

"Okay, come on" he walked to the gate; there would be no way to open it. So the Doctor passes Rose gently over before climbing over himself. He quickly took her off the man before following to the cottage. They passed into the entranceway, what would have once been a place to hang coats, now served as an airlock.

They passed into the main part of the house, the man indicated for the Doctor to follow into a side room. There inside were two single beds, the room changed from a study to a place to sleep. By the large fireplace were the remains of what once would have been an ornate desk. It had been chopped up to serve as fuel for the fire. The man placed more wood to the flame as the Doctor placed Rose on the bed nearer the fire.

"Rose…Rose" he tried to stir her, but she would not respond. He placed his hand under her top and onto the flesh above her chest, feeling the coolness. "We need to get her body temperature up"

"Kate!" the man shouted there came a rush of feet. There in the doorway appeared a child around 6 years old. "Grab some more blankets and bring the hot water bottle" The man then got up and went into the next room, he came back with a pan of water that he placed over the fire to heat it up. Kate came back with the blankets, and her other arm was a ceramic hot water bottle. It was cylindrical with a stopper in the center. It also was ceramic with rubber seals to keep the water inside. The Doctor took the blankets gratefully, while the man filled the hot water bottle then handed it to the Doctor.

He placed the hot water bottle beside Rose, and then he stroked her hair looking at her lax face. She had come so far with him; she did not deserve to be near death all the time. This was supposed to be a day off, to enjoy the day after the trouble with the Cybermen and Mickey staying behind. Not to be in the middle of a nuclear holocaust.

"Sorry for the way I greeted you, but I can't be too careful. My names Johnson" he held out his hand to the Doctor.

"I'm the Doctor, that's Rose." He took the hand then indicated Rose lying in the bed.

"Glad to meet you, the young one there is Kate. Come, let's get something in you." The Doctor looked to Rose a moment, hesitant, but there was nothing more he could do for her right now other than to let her sleep.

He followed Johnson through the house to the kitchen, once there Johnson went straight for a battered tea pot, he took out some teabags while a metal kettle whistled on an old cottage stove.

"I'm trying to save the tea, only use it on special occasions. But you look as though you need it" the Doctor nodded his thanks weary now beyond belief. The tea was made and drunk for a little while in silence. Before the Doctor's curiosity demanded attention.

"What happened here? It should the festival of the Gods," The Doctor indicated out the window with a tired wave. "Not a nuclear fall out"

"You're right, it should be the festival. No one can now tell you when it started. As far as I knew we had good relations with the north until a couple of seasons ago. Then things changed, almost overnight." Johnson went over to the window to look out over the landscape, but he wrenched the curtains over the window, unable to see the devastation any longer.

"Then things began to fall apart so quickly, their boarders and ports closed. They wouldn't let our ambassadors on their soil. Rumors began that they were making weapons. One man tanks, missiles, the whole works." He sat back down opposite the Doctor.

"What did the other continents try to do? Peace offering? Doves? Fruit basket? Anything" the Doctor became more agitated as he continued the sentence.

"We never got the chance Doctor. One minute we have a cease-fire. Then all communication was cut off. Somehow our government found out they had nuclear bombs, there was a rush of training programs and leaflets on how to survive a hit…. then 2 weeks later it happened." Johnson out his head back, eyes unseeing to the ceiling. Never seeing the pealing paint but the land as it used to be. Living and hole.

"Johnson" came the sweet voice of Kate.

"Yes poppet?" Johnson's tired face turned into a warm fatherly smile on Kate.

"All the animals are fed, and locked in." she replied, looking shy round the Doctor.

"Good girl. Have you turned the area alarm on?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, then off to bed with ya."

"Night Johnson, night mister" she went to turn to go up to bed.

"Kate" the Doctor said, his voice in child like welcome. 'Thank you for looking after Rose for me, here" he pulled out of his pocket a bar of chocolate. Kate's eyes lit up like stars.

"Thanks mister"

"Call me Doctor"

"Thanks Doctor" she came up like the innocent child she should have been and kissed the Doctor on the cheek. Then she skipped out of the room all smiles. Johnson smiled his thanks to the Doctor.

"It's been a while since I saw her smile like that" he got up and put the cups in the sink that was filled with cold water.

"You seem to have a lot of water on hand" the Doctor suddenly commented, in all the time he had been here he had seen Johnson use a lot of water that should be saved.

"I'm lucky, when my Granda built this at the founding. He built it over an underground spring. The well is actually in the living room. The water rises deep fro under the ground so there is no chance it will be contaminated" Johnson rose from the chair and indicated the Doctor to follow.

There in the back of the living room was a round gray brickwork in the center. There was a wooden top covering the hole. Above it connected to a thick wooden beam was a block and tackle with a bucket hanging from the hook. Johnson opened the top so the Doctor could peer inside. The air coming up heavy with moisture.

"So I see."

"Well it's late, best we turn in" Johnson recovered the well, and then doused the oil lamp. He lead the Doctor back to Rose's room, where she till slumbered. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like."

"Thank you" Johnson bid the Doctor goodnight then closed the door. The Doctor walked up to Rose, checking her over before he lay down on the other bed, eyes locked on her face.

888888888

At the Temple many bedded down for the night, but one who's lust had not been sated decided to find the blonde Goddess from before. He knew she had gone to Johnson's farm. He would have to go round the outskirts.

So he moved in the darkness, the snow crunching underfoot. He could see the farm in the distance, sitting safe at the base of Bad Wolf hill. He moved through the remains of the trees, once proud now blanked in the same death as the rest. He moved right on the edge of the land, the moon bleak behind the black tainted clouds.

He would never know what claimed him, if the gods had seen his evil and decided to send him to a place worse than the underworld. The messengers of the dead, voice grating and inhuman as they floated from the sky.

"SUB-JECT FOUND. HE-WILL-BE -ADE-QUATE"

His screams echoed round the hills…..

**TBC….**.

KITG: sorry for the wait. Don't you just love moving house…..NOT!


	5. Chapter 4:Death of the soul, Resurrectio

Death of the soul, Resurrection of a Foe.

The transport ship carried the radiation-mutated forms of humans. They quivered in the shadow of white steal machines, eyestalk surveying the human prisoners with detached interest. In the distance their destination loomed, a dark cavern in the ground. Large chimneys spewing black, red and green smoke to the already tainted sky. The ground chewed up, looking like wide wounds in the earth as if some great beast had tried to claw it's way into the ground.

The transport, a hover truck with a steel cage upon its backfilled with people. The humans were inside while the invaders, their one-man tanks hovering alongside. The white with gold nodules along the base, at the midsection two poles stuck out, one was, they knew a weapon. The gun realising rays of death laced with radiation that at second of impact the skeleton inside clear to see as death claimed them. The other looked like an old earth plunger but was far more deadly.

The hover car went into the bowls of the earth. The stone giving way to steal, even as they looked, some one-man tanks had different attachments. These ones had welding arms, connecting the sheets of steal. Deeper the hover car went. No way to tell direction in the hallways, as they were all identical to the rest, no signs or markings.

Finally they came to a huge room, on either side were cylindrical tanks, blue fluid bubbling inside. More one man tanks were inside, their suits as always protecting the humans inside. The smell was clinical, disinfectants and other chemicals. The hover truck stopped in the center of all this.

"DIS-EM-BARK" The voice graveled, passing through some kind of vox caster. The voice being garbled coming out more robotic than human.

They got out of the cage, herded into the center of the room, flanked on all sides by the scientific looking one-man tanks. Their guns and suckers replaced with claws and circular saws. The sick humans quivered, surely they would be shown mercy, as prisoners of war. But they could not know that death was closer. They could not know this was no longer a war, had never been a war. It had been an invasion; they had been conquered the moment these one-man tanks had set their eyestalks on this planet.

It was ironic, that true the ones in this room shared their heritage, but for a different reason than you would expect. Inside was not human, not anymore. The genes mutated for a purpose. That inside the casing was merely blobs of flesh that drove the tanks.

But they would realise soon, for a second that their humanity remained before it was over written by alien ideals.

The screams of pain and terror made no impact on the creatures. As they cut up the parts of the human anatomy they wished to retain. Mainly the brain, this was cultivated, controlled. Every perceivable outcome planned for. The human soul was ripped asunder, and from its ashes rose something so evil that it made the darkness quiver.

The cylindrical gestation tanks now not only holding the blue liquid, but holding the genetically changed human flesh pulsating as the wires connected to the neurons replaced all notions of compassion and memory. All to serve their leader, their emperor.

Their leader entered the room, his tank pure silver shining almost blindingly in the light; it was almost like a holy icon, some mockery of holy ideals. He came forward, if indeed he was a he. All traces of gender were lost eons ago. Their voice exact replicas of each other, no individuality. He looked over his creations, the eyestalk moving up with ease. The eye aperture at the end, like that of a camera lenses, shined red.

He was the only one that had individuality, true the others looked different with their attachments, but that was necessity not individuality. They needed scientist, builders, and solders. All were trained in the art of war, to spread their ideals. Their very presence across the universe, to wipe out all that were different than themselves. This was racial cleansing at its purist form.

"RE-PORT!" the emperor exclaimed, his orders never disobeyed….well not by these solders. Once long ago perhaps.

"EXPER-RI-MENTS –ARE-PROGRESSINNNG. PRO-JECTED-GESTA-TION-IMMINENT. DALEK-CASING-IMPER-RATIVE" The lead scientist reported. The emperor Dalek turned to the builders.

"RE-PORT-ON-ADVANCEMENT-OF-DALEK-EXOSKELTON!"

"PRODUC-TION-IS-BELOW-PROJECTED-OUT-PUT." The builder Dalek replied. The emperor turned finally to his soldier Daleks.

"WE-MUST-IN-CREASE OUTPUT. SLAVE-LABOUR-NEEDED! CAPTURE-ALL-HU-MANS-IN-THE-LOCAL-VILL-AGE!"

"WE-OBEY" The soldiers turned, heading back to the surface.

88888888888888888888

The snow had stopped once again. Inside the temple the air was thick with the sweet smell of sickness and death. To a few who still had the sense of smell, it was akin to rotting fruit. The room was filled with the dying, from either starvation or the radiation. Some would die of one, some the others. But quite a few would take the matters into their own hands.

Some already had, ropes attached to rafters of holy places, standing on the precipice, replaying all that had happened, searching for a reason to live….and finding none. The last step taken before the final jerk of release, as darkness claimed them. They would be free of the horror that those left behind had to face.

Outside those that could stand the cold, or found it's numbing embrace comforting, a distraction from the never-ending devastation before them. They huddled around the barrel as before. Eyes never leaving the dancing flames as their minds wandered to better times.

Few of them were to hear the approach of the metal monster until they were almost on top of them. Few still knew what a threat they posed, as not many could remember the last report from the TV the day the bombs fell. One of them ran into the temple, shouting that the army had come, that they were to be saved. The meager survivors rushed out to meet their saviors.

The saviors in their white and gold one-man tanks stopped before the humans. Never disturbing the snow below them. Some of the survivors, those too sick to move, to call out. Recognized the Danger, tried to warn, but misunderstood in excitement at being saved. As if they were saying, _"look, look they have come. We're saved"_ instead of the _"Look out, Run!"_ they tried to convey.

"YOU-WILL-COME-WITH-US" the one-man tank at the front declared. They all looked like pepper pots.

"Where are you taking us?" one woman asked, her form slim and malnourished now.

"YOU-WILL-OBEY-WITHOUT-QUESTION!" the pepper pot replied

"Hang on" and man from behind pushed forward, to stand before it, eyes level with the eyestalk, the red glow illuminating the mans face. "You can't tell us what to do and not tell us where we are going!"

"YOU-WILL-OBEY!" It repeated with more volume.

"We will not"

"THEN-YOU-WILL-BE-EXTERMINATED!" The leaders gun fired, the impact showing every bone in the mans body, his scream high pitched and full of pain. His body fell to the floor, insides scrambled beyond recognition. The others looked on in shock, before trying to flee in panic. But the Daleks were not stupid, the others let their guns sing, but these would merely stun not kill.

They fell, while the Daleks pursued. One, one tried to escape by giving information.

"Please, wait. You don't want me…I'm sick. But I know where there are healthy people. No radiation sickness." He babbled quickly.

"YOU-WILL-GIVE-US-THE-LOCATION-OF-THESE-HUMANS!" The lead Dalek commanded.

"They are at the base of Bad Wolf hills. Over there," he pointed to the hills in the distance. "There's a farm, they are all hiding there"

"THEN-THEY-WILL-BE-SEZIED-TO-SERVE-THE-DALEK-ORDER" it ranted, lights atop the dome flashing as it spoke.

"You'll let me go then?" the man smiled, thinking he had made a deal…but he would find out he had made a deal with Hades.

"YOU-WILL-FOLLOW. YOU-WILL-SERVE-THE-DALEKS. YOU-WILL-BE-HARVESTED." With that the Dalek that had come up beside the leader, shot the man and he was dragged away.

They were piled into the hover truck with no care. Bodies atop one another, moaning in pain from the gun. Others coward in the corner, looking eyes wide with fear as the Daleks moved back and forth. The leader went to the front of the van, looking at the hills shrouded now in snow. The Daleks scanner could detect the heat from the fire, but nothing more at this distance.

"WHAT-ARE-YOUR-ORDERS?" one of the Daleks asked.

"WE-WILL-SEIZE-THE-HU-MANS-IN-THAT-BUILDING!" he replied, already heading for the farm.

"WE-OBEY"

As one the Daleks moved towards the hills in the distance, their outlines lost in the blizzard that now claimed the sky. At their base the farm sat safe in the hills shadow. The hill, a constant protector had saved them from the bombs, from the blizzard. But it could not save them from the advancing army. Two inside knowing the enemy but thinking them wiped from existence. But like cockroaches, Daleks are hard to kill, leave one alive, one to rebuild. And they will rise across the universe.

What would those two think when they beheld these forms? Would they cry, rage; try to stop them yet again? Or would they give up, see the inevitability of trying to stop and unstoppable force? No those two would do what they could, protecting one another, Times guardian and Champion.

Time was as always ever flowing, it had no choice but to flow forwards, that was its being. Yes you could make it run backwards, but that was defiling it. Time was like a wild animal; to make it do your whim was cruel. Travel the Vortex with Times permission, to see all that had been, all that would be. But never make it flow, as you desire.

Time Lords knew this, the would protect Time; fix all paradox's that should occur. But one was Time favorite, one she would always show her heart. The Doctor was her champion; he helped her far more times, interfered at the right times and saving countless planets. Yes, he had made mistakes but those mistakes were pre-ordained. To fix the problem on satellite 5 the first time. The Doctor could never have known the Daleks were behind the Jagrafess. To the second time, for him to see the ruin of earth. All slaves to the TV shows of death. He would loose that regeneration, but gladly lost to save the life of Rose.

Time had touched Rose, and found her a kindred spirit. So time had lent this human child her power. Together they had been the Bad Wolf, and the Daleks had fallen before their golden gaze. They had howled the universe. _'Here we are, we are strong together, we will protect him always. So those who wish to do him harm beware.'_

So as death approached the farm, two would face it's red gaze. Together always to face the darkness, Times guardian and champion.

TBC…..

KITG: there we go, another chapter for you.


	6. Chapter 5: Monsters in the Dark

KITG: Sorry for the long wait. just moved house, and my internet only got recconected today.

Monsters in the Dark

She was in darkness, shadows and noises moving in the blackness. She could not see anything but the fear gripped her soul. Something was coming, something just beyond recognition.

Where was she? The last thing she remembered was being with the Doctor and the cold. He was trying to keep her awake.

"_Stay with me Rose"_ a voice that held her heart. The Doctor, a man of many faces, many lives, but his heart always remained the same. The goodness that drove him to protect the helpless from the monsters that go bump in the night always endured.

"You do not want to stay with him…" a voice came from the darkness, it was male and full of malice. Hiding behind fake concern. There was something about it, something she knew. Something that told her it should be feared.

"I'll always stay with him" she replied, turning in the nothingness.

"Always? There is no always. There is only the beginning and the end." The voice intoned, coming closer then fading away as it spoke.

"Who are you?" she called out.

"I am many, I am few. I am then I am now" it laughed "just like you"

"You're not like me. You're lying." Rose quivered at the voice, the part of her howling in rage at these lies. It could not be. Only she and the Vortex could claim that. Only the Bad wolf was then and now, many and few.

"Am I? You burnt like the sun. But you pale like the moon in comparison to me" the voice came closer whispering in her ear. She turned to see a man standing in the darkness. His face obscured by the blue flames that surrounded him. Rose took a step back as he advanced on her. "Do you fear me bad wolf? You should."

"Who are you?" she asked again, as gold began to flitter around her. Bad wolf was coming to shield her.

"I am the Dalek Sun….and you are mine" the blue fire came flaring towards her to cover her body. His blue flame overwhelmed the gold dust that was her power as the Bad Wolf was no match.

8888888888

The Doctor woke to Rose screaming in agony. He shot up like a spring to look at her, she was thrashing around on the bed, and he rushed over to her side, trying to hold her down.

"Rose! Rose! Wake up Rose!" he called to her, holding her shoulders. She seemed to convulse a moment then stopped…totally. "Rose.." he asked fearfully then she took a great breath as if she had plunged into ice cold water. Rose blinked her brown eyes trying to focus them.

"D….Doctor?" her voice croaked as she finally looked at him.

"Is she alright?" he looked over his shoulder to see Johnson and Kate standing there. Kate was rubbing the sleep from her right eye.

"I think so.." the Doctor replied, he looked at her glazed eyes. She seemed to be here but not. He decided to try to see if everything was okay before she fully woke. He placed his fingers at her temple, looking into her mind. Yes everything was okay except….something was hidden…but it did not concern him too much, it was like a dream. And from the way he had screamed it must have been a nightmare that was best forgotten.

"D…Doctor?" Rose asked again. Something bugged him about her gaze. It was if she could not fully focus.

"I'm here Rose, how do you feel?" he asked, he was looking intently at her eyes.

"Like that time you landed on me out of that ventilation shaft" she replied with a shaky smile.

"Oi, it wasn't my fault" he replied in a pouting voice, but his eyes still showed his blazing concern for her, something wasn't right.

"Rose…anything hurt?"

"Few aches and pains…but Doctor..my eyes can't seem to focus…it's all a blur" her voice quivering in her fear.

"What can you see?"

"Well you're a brown blur with blur hair right now. Can't really see your face" she replied.

The Doctor turned when someone tapped him on the shoulder. There was Kate, she had in her hand a glass of water and was looking at Rose with awe filled eyes. The Doctor nodded his thanks and helped Rose to take small sips to ease her parched throat. Then he got out his sonic screwdriver to look at her eyes. The read out came back the eyes themselves were fine. But the part of the brain that interpreted the information from the retina, had been for a better word overloaded. But it would have taken some force to do it. He could understand the eyes themselves being damaged but not the brain. Only some sort of trauma to the head…or physic force could do such a thing.

"The part of your brain that deciphers the image seems to be damaged. Not permanently" he added at her stricken face. "But it may take a while to sort itself out."

"Great." She replied with a sigh.

"What where you dreaming about?" he asked. Rose's face scrunched in concentration as she tried to remember. But images seemed to flutter from her mind. One feeling remained. Something was very wrong as the beast inside her quivered.

"I'm not sure…but something is very wrong here. It's as if something was watching me…I remember blue fire that was cold, yet burnt worse than a normal flame. And something was there….I'm sorry Doctor I can't really remember"

"That's okay Rose." The Doctor looked over to Kate as he heard her whispering to Johnson. Seems she hadn't seen another female for quite some time. The Doctor smiled. "Kate, would you like to meet Rose?" he asked, seeing the girls shy nod in reply he motioned his hand for her to come over.

"Kate, this is Rose Tyler. Rose this is Kate, seems she came from the village" he made a heavy implication as he said she lived in the town. One that Rose did not miss. She was the girl they had read about in the journal.

"Hello Kate." Rose said to the young one, just making out her blue blur next to the Doctor.

"You good friends with the Doctor?" Kate asked, sitting on the bed beside Rose, as if Rose was her big sister.

"Yes. He's my best friend"

"He's nice. He gave me a chocolate bar." She replied all smiles.

"Did he now? Well he's a big softie." Rose impulsively reached over to the Doctor who was still crouched next to the bed. Ruffling his hair, Kate laughed at his pout. So she followed suit and ruffled his hair too.

"Oi! I can ruffle my hair myself thank you very much!" he backed this up my giving his hair a good ruffle, only to smooth it back down again.

"No you can't you flattened it again" Kate replied in an admonishing tone, ruffling his hair once more. Rose giggled, seeing the flat top blur becoming a spiky blur again.

"I'm starting to feel like a dog…" he whined.

"Nah….You're more teddy bear material."

"Stop picking on me!"

"Oh stop being such a baby"

"You two are funny" Kate interrupted, she laughed freely making Johnson smile.

"Might as well make some breakfast" Johnson excused himself.

"I'll give you a hand," the Doctor shouted before turning back to Rose. "You sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine..you go, besides I've got Kate to look after me don't I?" the Doctor leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead before following Johnson.

"Rose, Where do you come from?" Kate asked, making herself comfortable in the crook of Rose's right side. Rose gently placed he arm over Kate's shoulders.

"Oh, far away. I travel with the Doctor to see the universe"

"Isn't it dangerous?" Kate asked, eyes wide and awe filled.

"Sometimes. But the things I see are worth it. A planet with seven moons going one way and four going the other. Always managing to miss each other. All different colors of the rainbow. To planets where you can float like a leaf, their cities in the clouds."

"Wow! How do you get there? You have a big space ship?" Kate moved her arms wide as she said "big"

"You could say that. His ship is called the TARDIS. And she's the best ship in the universe."

"Is your mother there?"

"Oh no. My Mother is at home. It's just me, the Doctor and the TARDIS."

"Is your daddy at home too?"

"No, he died when I was a baby." Rose smiled at the memory of meeting her father.

"Oh" Kate said sadly. "Do you have any brother and sisters?"

"Nope, just me"

"I had a big brother and a big sister. She was called Sarah…she wasn't mummy's daughter. Mummy said Sarah's mummy died. But I loved her like a big sister anyway" Kate replied sadly.

"And I bet she loved you too" Rose gave her a quick squeeze.

"Oh I know she did. She saved me..or that's what Mr Johnson says. He says she held on just to get me somewhere safe. Then she and William, my brother went to be with mummy and daddy in the hall of the gods. So I know she'll be happy. So I live for Sarah" Rose marveled at the courage of one so young.

"Then Sarah would be very proud of you"

"Rose?"

"Yes Kate?"

"Can you be my big sister?" Kate looked to Rose with hope filled eyes, and even without her full sight, Rose could feel it coming off the young one in waves.

"Of course Sweetheart. You can call me your big sister"

"Yay!" Kate jumped off the bed and tore towards the door, nearly crashing into the Doctor who was carrying a tray of food.

"Whoa…watch it," he said trying to stop the tea from sloshing. Kate was tugging on the bottom of his pin stripe jacket.

"Doctor! Guess what!"

"What?"

"Rose said she would be my big sister! Isn't she the best?" the Doctor smiled down at Kate.

"Of course she is. I only take the best. Now go and have your breakfast." The young one tore from the room, practically skipping. Rose and the Doctor laughed as they heard her excited voice recounting what Rose had told her.

"Seems you made a friend" he set the tray on her lap. Passing he cup of tea. He made sure she had a good grasp on it. Guiding her hands to it with one of his own. She smiled as the warmth comforted her.

"How can I not? She's so sweet. I mean you gave her one of your chocolate bars that you don't even give to me…so you can talk" she smirked

"I do give you some…. once a month"

"Only because I threaten to kill you if you don't give me one" he stuck his tongue out..but stopped when he remembered she couldn't see it..then decided to do it again because she couldn't see it.

"And just because I can't see too well, doesn't mean I don't know your sticking your tongue out right now" she aimed a slap at the brown blur that ended up hitting him in the neck.

"Ow!"

"Sorry…but I can't help it..can't see" she looked down, just seeing the cream blur that was the sheets. She smiled when she felt the Doctor's arm go round her shoulder, giving her a one-arm hug.

"Don't worry Rose. We'll find the TARDIS and I will make you good as new..better than new…all shiny with a bow on top…all shiny with a bow and glitter….all shiny wi…"

"Okay, okay…I get the point" she giggled at his madness. "Your so weird"

The Doctor reached for a bit of toast, he took a bite smiling as the sweet tang of marmalade exploded on his tongue. Then he directed the toast to Rose's mouth so she could take a bite.

"Good weird or bad weird?" he asked taking another bite.

"I'm not sure.." she took another bite as the toast was offered. "I mean…I sometimes get scared" she felt him jerk a little " no..scared isn't the right word. I could never be scared of you. It's just you are so different and I wonder if…oh I don't know…" she sighed.

"You wonder if I'm me or an imposter?" he laced his fingers with hers as he gave her a quick hug with the arm that was round her shoulder.

"No, I know you're you. If you weren't for one thing the TARDIS wouldn't let you fly her. But she feels the same as always. She's not on guard. And for another, you do some things the same. We still hold hands, still joke around." She smiled at him giving him a quick hug around his waist with the arm that wasn't pressed to his side. "But there is another thing that makes me certain it's you. Something inside me. Think it's bad wolf."

"So the best word would be confused?" The Doctor was now also confused. He was sure he had taken all the Time Vortex out of Rose. So how?

"Yeah, think with all that happening. You changing, I didn't get chance to see how I changed. I can see a few more things now, feel a few more, hear new things too. I can hear the TARDIS…she talks to me…calls me sister. I can feel the turn of the planets. Hear a song inside my head the follows a wolf's howl"

The Doctor sat stock-still, so Bad wolf had not left her…it had changed her, made her more than human. The Doctor felt his rage build. How dare it change her? The TARDIS should never have let Rose do what she did on that station. But then wasn't it his entire fault really? For bringing Rose with him in the first place.

"Rose….can I look inside your mind?"

"What? Like you said you did with Renette?"

"Yes, you don't have to if you don't want to"

"It's okay. I trust you" she smiled, laying her hand over his hearts. He smiled in return wondering what he did to deserve Rose Tyler. The Doctor placed his fingers either side of her temple and looked inside. He was shocked by the power he felt there. He saw gold light and power. There was the astral image of rose she seemed to be asleep. This was her subconscious part of her. And sat beside her, protecting her while she slept was a wolf.

"I take it you must be the projection of Bad Wolf."

"I am"

"You shouldn't be here" the Doctors voice had dropped to his dark tone.

"She welcomed me. I am forever part of her now. You can not change that young one" the voice was soft and lilting, a mixture of Rose and of time.

"You will kill Rose"

"No my Doctor. I have had time to change her, make her body able to hold me"

"And then what? Take her over?" he growled out.

"You know me better than that. I will come when needed . if I stay long it will kill the body. That cannot be changed. No one can hold all of me. But she will hold me long enough when the time comes."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I can tell you no more" with that the wolf disappeared.

"Doctor…please tell me you never wore that," the image of his sixth self flashed across his mind and he cringed.

"Hey…who said you could look in my mind?"

"Oh come on..fair is fair." She went quiet a moment and he felt his loneliness flitter across him. The fire, the feeling of loneliness as a child….

"No Rose!" he threw her from his mind. Sending her reeling.

"I'm sorry…I didn't" she held her head from the headache the now blasted he brain. The Doctor took a few gulping breaths to calm himself. He placed his finger on her lips to stop her.

"Shh, wasn't your fault. I should be the one that is sorry. And yes…unfortunately I did wear that in my sixth incarnation" She smiled then giggled.

"Oh god…where you blind"

"You can talk"

"I have a sense of style"

"Um..Union Jack T-shirt ring a bell?" she stuck her tongue out. But then she grabbed his hand with both of hers.

"You're not alone anymore Doctor" she looked at the blur that was his face. Wishing she could see his eyes. But she felt comforted when he squeezed back.

"I know" he kissed her forehead; she would never know how much she had healed him. Yes he had companions before that he called friends. But only one other truly could be called best friends. No more than that. Only two people understood him fully.

One was brigadier Leftbridge-Stewart. The other was Rose Tyler. The brigadier had known him the longest, had seen many of his regenerations. And always called the Doctor friend. But Rose…Rose was his equal in spirit. In her lust to see the universe, to help those who needed saving. To run from the monsters, then to go looking for yet more to run from without fear.

All of a sudden the animals out side began to call and cry. Their agitated sounds making the Doctor go to the window. He could see nothing, just the grey snow and the shapes of dead trees. Rose came to stand by his side. Hands touching his back for guidance.

"What is it?"

"I don't know…I can't see anything…"

"They are coming" Rose's voice with the timeless lilt. The Doctor turned his head to Rose to see the gold in her eyes. "He tried to blind us to their coming. The sight came too late."

"Who tried to blind you?" the Doctor asked but Rose just pointed with her finger, eyes still glazed.

"Too late to run" the Doctor looked where she was pointing…..to see a Dalek task Force come out from behind the barn…..

**TBC…..**


	7. Chapter 6: Solar Prison

KITG: this chapter is dedicated to Goddess of Twilight, who seems to be my one constant reader and reviewer. and i would ask a favour of you if you wouldn't mind. are you free to beta for me? if so let me know Via PM and i'll give you me MSN address. Ta muchly :)

**Solar Prison**

The Doctor stood immobile a moment, his brain unable to accept what he saw before him. They had killed the Daleks, their race ended in a swirl of gold dust. How could they survive? Would he always be fated to fight them? Was this the universes personification of evil that could never be vanquished?

He hoped not, for if that was the case evil truly outnumbered the good. With the Cybermen and various other races falling under that dark banner. Rose was now quivering beside him; he did not have time to tell if it was either from fear or rage. The Doctor ran down the hallway to the kitchen, seeing Johnson was already taking the shotgun from its place on the wall.

"Don't!" The Doctor yelled at him,

"But what if they are after our food?" Johnson argued trying to push the Doctor from his path.

"Trust me that is the least of our problems. That," He indicated the gun "Will not stop them"

"What are they?"

"Daleks" Rose replied from the doorway, Kate ran up to her. Rose placed her arms around the young one so they were crossed over the child's chest. Kate's back was to Rose's stomach.

"And just what is a Da-leck?" Johnson tried to pronounce the name.

"Dalek" the Doctor corrected automatically "They are a race that believe anything that is different to them must be wiped from the universe. They will not stop, they will have no mercy, no compassion."

"Then what can we do?"

"I don't know…with just one of them maybe….but a whole taskforce" The Doctor turned his gaze to Rose. She could not see the swirling emotion in his brown gaze. But she could feel it. Could see it in her mind. She had seen it twice before, blazing across blue eyes before the same enemy. She had hoped never to see that look again in brown.

She could see it there in her mind, to others it would look as though he was thinking. His youthful face hiding the terror he felt. But she could see it, the swirls of darkness in his gaze as his hearts raced in fear.

"Doctor" she walked uncertainly forward to his blurry shape. Rose placed her hand on his, he turned is palm up so their fingers could intertwine. He gave a shaky smile, which she could not see, but she was returning anyway. He could not fathom the fear she must be feeling. For her vision to be impaired and the knowledge that Daleks were close.

"It's no use fighting them, not yet, they will have scanned the building and found our life signs." As if on cue the grating robotic voice of the Dalek called out to them.

"ALL-HUMINOIDS-WILL-EXIT-THE-BUILDING-OR –YOU-WILL-BE-EXTER-MIN-ATED!"

The Doctor led them from the farmhouse. Kate was by Rose's right side while the Doctor was holding her left. To the Doctors left came Johnson. The Daleks task force of three hovered above the grey snow, the glow from the levitators at the base of their frame casting a strange blue/white glow upon it.

"YOU-WILL-COME-WITH-US. TO-SERVE-THE-DALEK-EMPIRE!" As they spoke their plunger like arms moved in menace, as did their guns.

"And how can we serve the Dalek Empire?" The Doctor asked, his face dark. No smiles before this enemy. Only the oncoming storm.

"YOU-WILL-BECOME-SLAVES-TO-BUILD-THE-FACTORIES. SOME-MAY-BE-HARVESTED. NOW-YOU-WILL-MOVE-MOOOVE!" The Daleks pointed to the truck with the cage on the back. Some people were already inside. Sick wretches that either cried or just sat despondently there rocking back and forth.

All four climbed inside, the Doctor guiding Rose. They all grabbed onto the wire mesh as the hover-truck began to move. It angled itself to the fields in the distance; now that the snow clouds had cleared all could see the black smoke rising to the dark sky. As they came closer to their obvious destination those inside began to wail and moan, demanding to be set free. The Doctor, Rose, Kate and Johnson were in one corner. The two males protecting Rose and Kate.

The ground was rent in two as the silver wound gleamed in the light from the hover-truck. From it came numerous Daleks. The Doctors face if possible became darker. He looked to Rose as she squeezed his hand.

"We're in big trouble this time aren't we?" she asked half in fun, half in fear.

"Trouble? This is nothing. Home in time for tea" he joked, all fake smiles.

"Liar" Rose poked him in his side, then place her arm round his waist to rest her head on his shoulder as she felt his arm copy the action. So it was round the back of her waist. He gave a lingering squeeze as he rested his head against hers. "We don't know where home is right now. So the TARDIS can't very well provide the tea to be in time for"

The Doctor gave a snort of laughter at her argument. Rose always managed to calm him, so he could think of a way out of this. The hover-truck went into the bowels of this silver wound in the earth. The truck stopped in a large chamber. In the back they could see cells. Recesses in the wall with glowing blue shields to keep the people inside, they seemed to be separated into the healthy and those with radiation sickness.

"YOU-WILL-DIS-EM-BARK!" one of the Daleks ordered. The leader of he taskforce had gone over to a terminal and seemed to be communicating with its superior. They filed from the truck's cage one by one and were herded into a line heading toward the cells. But to get to them they had to pass through what looked to be an airport metal detector. Its use became apparent as the first person passed through.

"HUMANOID-LIFE-FORM. SEVERE-RADIATION-CONTAMINATION." The Dalek to the side of the detector called out. The man was prodded into the cell of the sick.

"Doctor, if you go through that they'll know what you are" Rose whispered to him urgently.

"We will have to distract them somehow," he whispered back.

"We can't do much, not with this many. Tell you what. I'll go before you and faint or something. See if you can slip past while they tell me to get up."

"Be careful Rose. You know them, they have no compassion. They may just shoot you." The Doctor argued back.

"But what else can we do? I'll be fine" Rose stood before him as they came to the scanner. What happened next neither of them could ever have predicted. As Rose passed through alarms began to sound off. The Daleks becoming agitated and excited at the same time.

"BAD-WOLF-DETECTED! CONTAIN! CONTAIN!" Kate ran to Rose as the Daleks all started to swarm round her, their lights flashing as they asked for orders. The Doctor tried to get to them but he was being pushed into one of the cells. Well she wanted to distract them from the Doctor…but this wasn't quite what she had in mind.

"THE-CHILD-WILL-GO-WITH-THE-OTHERS!" one Dalek ordered of Kate.

"No, you won't take my big sister!" Kate shouted at them, her voice whining.

"THEN-YOU-WILL-BE-EXTER-MIN-ATED!" The Daleks all aimed their guns at Kate.

"No!" Rose stepped in front of her, and the Doctor held his breath. "She'll go"

Rose kneeled down before Kate. Holding her hand, as Kate tried not to cry before the monsters.

"Sweetheart. I need you to go to my best friend okay? But you can't say his name" Rose explained softly.

"But I want to stay with you"

"You can't it's not safe. And it's safer for me if you stay here okay?" Rose reached into her pocket and took out the TARDIS key. No doubt if she kept it the Daleks would figure out what it was. "Will you look after this for me? It's very important"

"Okay big sister."

"Okay. Now go to my best friend. Call him John okay?"

"Okay" Kate hugged Rose quickly then walked between the monsters to the cell. Rose locked eyes with the Doctor, as Kate gave him the TARDIS key. He gave her a quick nod of understanding as Kate clung to him, finally giving in to her tears.

"YOU-WILL-MOVE" A Dalek commanded of her, the plunger poking her in the back.

"I can't." she replied through her teeth. "I can't see"

"THEN-YOU-WILL-BE-GUIDED!" Rose felt the cold metal of the arm of the plunger. She gripped it; she was led by the Dalek this way, hand tight on the plunger arm. It was absurd, a Dalek guiding a blinded woman like a guide dog. Rose disappeared down a one of the hallways, to face the fate the Daleks would make for her.

88888888

The Doctor swore that both his hearts has stopped and plummeted to his stomach when the alarm sounded. He stood stock still s the Daleks surrounded Rose. His shock that they knew of Bad Wolf to the extent to build a device to detect her. Kate had run over to Rose, in a child's misguided conception that they could tell the monsters not to hurt the ones they care about.

The Doctor had been awed once more by Rose's calm before the danger. She told Kate to leave her and to go to him, even thinking to hand Kate the TARDIS key, to give the child something to focus on while keeping the key out of the Daleks hands. No doubt they had the TARDIS here.

He comforted Kate as he watched Rose being taken away, the young one was crying into his jacket, asking why the monsters have to always take her family. He crouched down to her.

"It will be okay Kate. Rose will be fine." He placed the TARDIS key round her neck. "You will have to look after this for her"

"You're not trying to make me feel better by lying are you?" she asked looking at the key around her neck. She picked it up into her hand so she could see it better. "It's warm"

"Is it?" the Doctor fished his key out, it was also slightly warm, and a small glow about it.

"You have one too? Did you give Rose this?" Kate asked, all fear forgotten in her need to find out more about Rose.

"Yes. I gave it too her a while ago"

"That's why it's important! Because you gave it too her!" she would never know how right she was.

"It's the key to my ship. So she will come back for it. So as long as you look after it Rose will come back" The Doctor wiped the tears from Kate's face.

"Really?" her green eyes looking at the Doctor filled with hope and awe.

"Really" Kate leaned over and gave the Doctor a hug, and then kissing him on the cheek she skipped off to be with Johnson. So she did not see the smile melt from the Doctors face, or the bleak gaze that followed the hallway that Rose had been taken down.

He began to look for ways out, seeing if there was a weakness in the shield of the cell. The smooth walls showing no access to the power systems. Well…he would just have to make his own. The Doctor dug out the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and changed the setting to cut through the aluminium like material. Johnson had come up to shield what he was doing from prying eyes.

The Doctor had never been one to sit around in a cell, well unless it served a purpose. But the only purpose where the Daleks were concerned was death. And he would not leave Rose to face it on her own.

Soon enough he had the panel off and was looking over the wires and components inside. He changed the settings on the sonic screwdriver and the shield flicked then died altogether.

"Doctor..what are you going to do?" Johnson laid a restraining hand on the Doctor's arm. Some of the other prisoners were making a run for it.

"Don't…you can't escape like that. Stop!" the Doctor called to them.

"We're not going to sit around while you rescue your bit of skirt. We're getting out of here" then ran off down one of the numerous hallways.

"Fools, they are going to get killed" The Doctor growled out in exasperation.

"What do you want us to do?" Johnson asked.

"Stay here with the rest until I get back. They won't kill you, as they need you. So don't do anything to anger them. I need to find out what they have planned, I need to know what they are going to do to Rose." he looked around making sure there were no Daleks patrolling the area.

"Okay. Be careful Doctor" Johnson held out his hand, which the Doctor took with a firm shake. Then he set off down the hallways in search for Rose.

888888

Rose followed where she was led. Her eyes would still not focus, the silver blur of the hallways interspersed by the blurry outlines of the Daleks that surrounded her. As she continued on she became aware of a bright light where the ceiling was, a round orb of light that felt as though in fact it was hovering there. Not actually connected to the ceiling at all. It was a blue/white glow that seemed to pulse through her, her hair standing on end at the power and ozone that came from it.

"Ahhh-the-Bad-wolf" a voice said in relish, the tone almost like a Dalek, but more mortal than robotic.

"Who's there?" Rose asked bravely.

"So-the-weapon-worked-in-disabling-you. Good" the sound of the hover unit of a Dalek as a pure silver blur appeared before her. Brighter than the pale silver walls, this form gleamed as if it sucked all the light from the room to illuminate itself. Though where the dome unit where the eyestalk should be was dark. And something moved within. But she could still not focus so could not discern exactly what she was seeing. But to others they would see this Dalek was different from the others. It almost looked like an eggcup, with a round ball instead of an egg inside it. The base was of normal Dalek design, but the dome unit was larger, and at the moment the dome had opened upwards. The front section folding over the back so you could see the creature within.

All that was inside was a head, which seemed to swivel around on a unit. It had wires leading from various places. In the centre of the beings forehead was what looked to bee a third eye, but you could see it had been placed there and was robotic in nature. The head looked humanoid, but was almost black as if rotting; there was no hair upon its head but a metal frame with more wires running into it. It's own two eyes were shut, seeming as if the eyelids had sealed themselves shut, then had become sunken as though the eyeballs themselves were gone.

"What weapon? Who are you?" Rose demanded, though her voice quivered.

"I-am-the-creator-of-the-Daleks. My-race-WILL-BECOME-THE-SUPREAM-RULERS-OF-THE-UNI-VERRRSE!" The voice changed through mid rant chilling Rose's blood. It became the same as every other Dalek she had known. She remembered a conversation with the Doctor.

"_The Daleks were created on the Planet Skaro. By a evil genius called…"_

"You're Davros!"

TBC…..


End file.
